Midnight Kiss (23 page)

“Does that make you happy?” he growled.

“Yes.”

“How happy?” His other hand slid up her knee.

“Ho-ly crap,” a voice said from behind them. A voice with a heavy Texas drawl.

“Oh, no,” Elise breathed, too horrified to turn around.

“You and
Noah?
”

She finally got the sense to pull away from Noah. His grip went loose with shock. “Tex, listen,” she said, holding up both hands in a plea. “It isn’t what you think.”

“Really? ’Cause I’m thinking Noah James is a stone-cold
stud.
”

Her face flamed and she heard Noah’s muttered “Damn it,” past a haze of static in her ears. But this was her fault. She’d spread the tale of Noah’s tryst with the flight attendants.

“Okay,” she whispered. “You’re right. He is. He’s a total stud, and I don’t want anyone to know I succumbed to that, all right? So just keep it quiet.”

“Hoo boy,” Tex breathed. “This is some crazy shit.”

“Elise,” Noah hissed, but she shook her head.

“Wow. All right,” Tex finally said. “I won’t mention this, but don’t expect me to keep my admiration a secret, man. And Elise…watch yourself around this dog.”

“Yes. Of course.”

“Wow,” he said again, shaking his head as he retreated from the doorway.

Elise rushed to shut the door behind him and turned to find Noah standing with his arms crossed.

“I can’t believe it. You threw me under the bus.”

“It’s only temporary! I don’t want to run the risk that we won’t be assigned to the same case. It’s just for a little while, I swear.”

“Oh?” He scowled at her, unmoved. “And then what?”

She cleared her throat. She’d had a lot of time to think while Noah had assembled his team and pored over mind-numbing numbers for hours. “I’ve been thinking I’m not cut out for this job.”

“What are you talking about? You’re damn good at it.”

“I am good at it. I’m great at it. But I don’t love it. And lately I’ve been eyeing Fraud and Counterfeiting.”

He dropped his arms to his sides. “The Secret Service?”

“Yes. There’s a big office in Denver. They’re short-staffed and I’m qualified. If I like the investigative side of it, I can apply to become a full-fledged agent next year.”

“You’re serious?”

“It would be a relief. There are bad guys and good guys. There’s nothing touchy-feely—”

“Hey, you’re pretty good at touchy-feely.”

“No, I’m not. And…my mom was from Kansas. I never knew her family. I don’t even remember
her.
But I thought… I thought now that my dad is gone, maybe I should get to know her story, her family. I’ve been in touch with my aunt…” She shrugged. “I’ve wanted a change. I love my uncles, but spending every week
end with them… I’m too young to live like that. And now…”

“Now,” he repeated.

“Yeah. Now.” She didn’t know what else to say. Her mind was doing that grasping, anxious dance. What was he thinking? What does he want me to say? She took a deep breath. She had good instincts. Look how this case had turned out.

She decided to take the plunge. “I checked out apartments last year. It wouldn’t take too long to arrange, assuming I can get the job. Maybe a couple of months. If, you know, we’re still…”

Daring a glance in his direction, she found him looking serious. Too serious. Crap. “Or—”

“We will be.”

“I’m shy,” she blurted out. “I never know what to say at parties.”

His eyebrows rose. “What?”

“And I’m not very girly.”

“Oh.” He nodded, and his mouth softened to something even sweeter than a smile. “We’re even, then. I’m a guy and I don’t like sports.”

“Really?”

“When have you ever heard me join in a discussion about March Madness?”

“Good point. Are you saying I could kick your ass at basketball?”

“Almost definitely.”

She thought of knocking into him on the court, their sweaty bodies tangling as they fought over the ball. “Maybe you just need more practice?”

He shrugged as if he didn’t care, and she decided she’d have to convince him. A rough hour on the court
with Noah would be right up her foreplay alley. So much better than flowers and dancing. And she had the unshakable feeling that Noah James wouldn’t think there was anything wrong with that.

“But I have been thinking about trying bull riding,” he drawled.

That snapped her from her fantasies. “What?”

“The mechanical kind. Wanna go out tonight and try your hand? We’ve got a closed case to celebrate…and there are rumors going around that you’re an amazing rider, Elise Watson.”

He dodged the fist she threw at his shoulder and snuck his arms around her for a kiss. A mechanical bull on their second date? Yep, he knew her pretty damn well.

“I
S THIS WEIRD
?”
Elise asked anxiously. “It’s weird, isn’t it?”

“It’s not so bad,” Noah answered. “I checked the view from your kitchen window and you can only see one corner of my bedroom from there. Not too creepy at all.”

“Oh, no,” she groaned, hiding her face behind her hands. Noah put down the box he was carrying and pulled her into his arms.

“You’re cute when you’re mortified.”

“I didn’t know I’d be able to see into your bedroom! I should’ve taken the place across town.”

“No, I like it. I feel safe knowing a Secret Service agent is watching over me. Literally.”

“Shut up. I’m not a full agent yet.”

“I still like having you watch over me. And that other place didn’t have a basketball court,” he reminded her. He kissed her blushing cheek, then worked his way down to her mouth. Embarrassed or not, Elise let him. In the three months since Omaha, they’d only seen each other four times. She’d been busy jumping through hoops to get the Denver Secret Service position. And despite their caution about keeping the relationship secret, she could’ve sworn that the FDIC had conspired to keep them apart. They hadn’t been thrown together on one job since.

But the hours on the phone every week had been wonderful. And the three stolen weekends. And the flowers he sent even though she told him she didn’t need them. He made her feel like a girl. A girl who worked for the Secret Service and kicked his ass on the basketball court.

“Anyway,” Noah continued as if they hadn’t been making out for a full minute. “Spying on me in my bedroom will be a good transition to living together.”

“It’s too soon,” she groaned, more than familiar with this argument.

“But you did get the shortest lease?”

Elise smiled. And then she laughed. “Three months. Short enough for you?”

“Never.”

“I just want to be sure.”

He kissed her neck, his breath soft against her as he spoke. “You’re not sure?”

The words melted through her skin, warming her body and tying her stomach into a tight knot. She couldn’t lie to him, not anymore. “I am sure,” she whispered, afraid to admit it too loudly. “But I want to give you the chance to be sure.”

“Elise—”

“You might change your mind.”

“You’re so damn stubborn.” His voice was somewhere between a whisper and growl. He placed his hands carefully on either side of her face and stared into her eyes. She wanted to squirm or look away, but he deserved more than that, so she looked into his blue eyes and took a deep breath.

“I love you, Elise. I’ve waited a long time for you, and I’ll wait a little longer if that’s what you need. But you don’t have to keep warning me off. You don’t have
to tell me you’re different. I know you are. I knew it two years ago, and I know it now, and damn it, I love you so much it hurts. So take your three months, get settled in at your new job and then put me out of my misery and let’s make it more permanent. Please?”

She took another deep breath, trying to steady her trembling nerves. She’d spent her whole life thinking of herself as awkward and tom-boyish. Could she accept that Noah James truly saw her as sexy and strong?

Clearing her throat, she tried to buy some time. “You’ve still got issues with authority.”

“And you’ve still got issues with control,” he countered. “Working those issues out could be a whole lot of fun.”

When she didn’t respond right away, he narrowed his eyes in challenge. She thought of their last weekend together, and the way he’d worshipped her body with his mouth.

Anticipation rushed through her like a drug. “Okay, Noah James. You’ve got three months to nail me down. You’d better put your heart into it.”

He smiled, the grin slowly widening into arrogance. “Oh, I’ll put more than my heart into it, boss. Way more.”

“I’ll take it all.”

“You bet your ass you will.”

The teasing stopped then, and an hour later, Elise was more than convinced of his sincerity. But she decided to keep that to herself for a few more weeks. A little hard work never hurt anyone, after all, and Noah James had proved himself a dedicated worker…and well worth the wait.